Alun Davies: Like yourself, First Minister—the defeat of the UK Government last night in the House of Commons was truly historic. I agree with your analysis, and had the Prime Minister any sense of obligation to the country, she would have resigned this morning as a consequence of that. I also hope that the House of Commons will pass a vote of no confidence in the United Kingdom Government this evening....
Alun Davies: Like others, I'd like to welcome my colleague to her new role. Can I ask for a statement on the delivery of the south Wales metro system? We have seen and heard timetables for the delivery of new services on many of the Valleys lines serving the Heads of the Valleys area, but we are still waiting in Ebbw Vale to hear about new services on the Ebbw Vale line. We understand that there will be...
Alun Davies: Mark Drakeford.
Alun Davies: I think Jenny Rathbone, as she does very often, of course, has identified the key challenge facing us. I'm grateful to you, Jenny, for your support for the approach that we're taking, but you're absolutely right: the judgment will be on our actions and not our speeches, and I certainly do recognise that. But let me say a word about the approach that I've taken and how I've sought to address...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to the Member for Cardiff North for her support, and I know she's been a campaigner on these matters for many years and has driven the debate on many of these issues over a significant period of time. I want to start by agreeing with the general point that she makes about the prison population. In the 13 months I've been in this post, I've visited every single prison in Wales,...
Alun Davies: Deputy Presiding Officer, let me answer the final question first. The answer is 'yes'. The answer is 'yes'. I would invite the Member for the Rhondda to seek a consensus and to seek opportunities to work together rather than to look for divisions between us. I believe that we have a real opportunity here. The Member outlined very well a number of critical reports about the prison service and...
Alun Davies: I'm grateful to the Conservatives for their questions and, I think, general support for this statement and the approach that we're taking. The Member for North Wales started his remarks by questioning whether this was a distinct approach at all, and then, in order to sustain his case, he quoted from a Ministry of Justice document, which outlined the need for a distinctive approach in Wales...
Alun Davies: Our current proposals on youth offending therefore prioritise further early prevention and diversion activity, reaching younger people even earlier, before they are at risk of offending. We will further develop our approaches to pre-court diversion and enhance the support for a trauma-informed approach to working with young people at risk of offending. A holistic approach will be needed, and...
Alun Davies: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I am very pleased to be able to make this statement this afternoon and in doing so I want to start by expressing my own personal gratitude to all of those people who've worked with me to develop and test the blueprints for youth and female offenders over many months. People in the criminal justice system are some of our most vulnerable and...
Alun Davies: I did notice the comments made by the leader of Pembrokeshire County Council on these matters in a newspaper recently. I will say to him and to the Member for Mid and West Wales that Pembrokeshire County Council has taken a number of decisions over its council tax levels over a number of years in full knowledge of the consequences of those decisions. And it is a matter for the electorate of...
Alun Davies: I published the provisional local government settlement for 2019-20 on 9 October. The Government announced further funding for local government on 20 November. The final settlement will be announced on 19 December.
Alun Davies: One of the reasons why I was very anxious to ensure that we do fulfil our responsibilities under the covenant is to deliver resources to the front line where they're needed. So, we will be spending considerable resource supporting the local authority liaison officers network across Wales, which delivers support for all service personnel, both in terms of housing and in other terms as well....
Alun Davies: No.
Alun Davies: Presiding Officer, Members will be aware that we launched the employment pathway in partnership with the armed forces expert group that consists of representatives of public and third sectors, as well as military charities and including the Department for Work and Pensions. It provides options for veterans and service leavers on where to find support and information to secure employment...
Alun Davies: We have made tremendous progress in improving services and support for veterans, which includes those living in Mid and West Wales. I hope the Member will agree that my recent statement on these matters highlighted that.
Alun Davies: Despite the best efforts of the Member from the Rhondda, I do believe we actually agree on far more than perhaps she would believe. This Government is absolutely committed to the devolution of policing and criminal justice to this place—
Alun Davies: —and to the creation of a holistic approach to policy. We created, at the request of the police, a policing board for Wales, which met last month for the first time, and we are working well together with the police. I've met with the Home Office on a number of occasions to pursue these matters, and I've met with Ministers in the Ministry of Justice to pursue these matters as well. It is my...
Alun Davies: I agree very much with the conclusions from the Member for South Wales Central. I did meet with Charlie Taylor, chair of the Youth Justice Board, in the last few weeks to discuss these matters with him and how we approach youth offending. The analysis that the Member has described is absolutely correct and one that I believe is an emergency that we need to address. I hope that, when he reads...
Alun Davies: I have visited HMP Parc and the youth offenders institution within the prison, and I have discussed these matters with the director there. Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service have confirmed that there are behavioural management analysts in Parc who are working towards reducing self-harm and violence within the prison. However, I believe we need to go further than this. I believe...
Alun Davies: Members may recall that I commissioned the development of blueprints for youth justice and for female offenders. I have shared these blueprints with members of the Cabinet, and I hope, Presiding Officer, to be able to provide Members with an update in the next week or so.
